Christian claims atheism is a result of a tense relationship with one’s father.

Another quick post I couldn’t help but put up. A psychologist is saying that atheism is not the result of merely finding the claims of religions (like people rising from the dead, walking on water, etc.) unbelievable. No, there must be some deeper explanation for when someone reads stories about a global flood that somehow left no geological evidence and says “That sounds made up,” and Paul Vitz has found it. And it’s so ground-breaking that rather than submit it to peer review in the field of psychology, he’s written a book to be sold to non-experts in psychology – but who are sure in love with his conclusions.

The reason why normal people hear about someone being turned into a pillar of salt and reject it is a bad relationship with one’s father:

A child’s tumultuous relationship with their father is the determining factor in the widespread rise of atheism, claims Dr. Paul Vitz in his controversial new book, FAITH OF THE FATHERLESS: The Psychology of Atheism.

As a former atheist, Vitz exposes atheism to the same psychological analysis that atheist apologists have used to debunk religious belief. FAITH OF THE FATHERLESS shows how psychoanalysis is actually a better explanation for the denial of God. Being disappointed in one’s earthly father, whether through death, absence or mistreatment, often leads to a rejection of God. The crisis of fatherhood in our culture has us in the midst of a 500-year period of adolescence that glorifies aggression and sexual exploitation, according to Vitz.

You can imagine how strange this was for me to learn, since I have a spectacular relationship with my father and consider him to be the most admirable man I’ve ever known (or at least, I thought I did).

Who knew that moral commandments like killing everybody who works on a particular day (Exodus 35:2) and stories of someone living inside the belly of a fish for three days were perfectly reasonable, which I would see if only my relationship with my father were even better?

Or maybe Paul Vitz is a sham looking to cash in on confirming the prejudice of other Christians. (To quote Michaelyn when I read her this entry: “What a douchebag”)

When not defending the planet from inevitable apocalypse at the rotting hands of the undead, JT is a writer and public speaker about atheism, gay rights, and more. He spent two and a half years with the Secular Student Alliance as their first high school organizer. During that time he built the SSA’s high school program and oversaw the development of groups nationwide. JT is also the co-founder of the popular Skepticon conference and served as the events lead organizer during its first three years.

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